Covering topics on religion, philosophy and life, this blog attempts to make biblical truths simple for the average believer. As porridge is soft to aid digestion, so the blog contents are easily understood.
However, there is also meaty stuff for those who aspire to go deeper. The relevance of the Bible in our daily life (areas such as finances, sex, marriage, health and emotional healing) is also dealt with.

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Wednesday, 6 November 2013

GOLD, GLORY, GIRLS

Whether
we opt for 3G or 4G is a matter of preference. But when these three G’s loom large in our lives, we are in deep
trouble.

When
the Israelites set foot on the Promised Land, they wanted to be ruled by a king
just like the nations around them. They preferred a monarchy to a theocracy.

Though
it was not His perfect will, God relented. But He set conditions concerning the
king’s conduct within His permissive will:

“The king must not build
up a large stable of horses for himself or send his people to Egypt to buy horses, for the Lord has told you, ‘You must never
return to Egypt.’ The king must not take many wives for himself, because they will turn his heart away from the Lord. And he must not accumulate large
amounts of wealth in silver and gold
for himself” (Deuteronomy
17:16-17).

Did King David, a ‘man after God’s own heart’, fulfill these
conditions? No. He failed intwoout of three areas.

David
gave generously towards the building of the temple because he acknowledged that
all blessings come from God. So he was not mesmerised by gold and material things (1
Chronicles 29: 12-16).

But
he had a weakness for women, committing adultery despite having several
wives.

And
when he took a census for his own personal glory, he showed his reliance on his many horses,
soldiers and chariots rather than God. GIRLS

At a time when kings were supposed to lead
armies into battle, King David was idling. A naked lady bathing at the rooftop
caught his eye. And the ‘man after God’s own heart’ fell for the charms of
another man’s wife. Like tumbling dominoes, events unfolded swiftly,
moving David from temptation to lust to adultery and to murder (2 Samuel
11: 1-17).

Because he could not control his lust, David
not only committed adultery with Bathsheba but was instrumental in the death of
her husband, Uriah. The latter was sent to the frontline where he was most
likely to be struck down in battle.

What accounted
for David’s weakness for other women? He already had Abigail, Ahinoam and
Michal as his wives before Bathsheba came into the scene (1 Samuel 25: 42-44).
Clearly what was sitting on the torso’s upper pole could not control what was on
its lower pole. *

After King
David’s adultery with Bathsheba, his destiny was changed forever; he was no
longer in charge of the turbulent events in his life. Though
God forgave King David for his sin of adultery, the consequences of sin, as pronounced by the prophet Nathan against
David, was brutal: Violence constantly pursued him, his son Absalom rebelled
against him and the “love child” with Bathsheba died despite the king’s
desperate prayer.

Now, let’s
now consider the other major sin of King David. In 2 Samuel 24:1-10, David took
a census of the people in Israel and Judah. Trying to ascertain the size of
his army was tantamount to seeking glory in his own military might and
superiority.

God had raised
him from humble beginnings as a shepherd boy and given him power and prosperity.
But it seemed that through this act of taking a census, David trusted his
soldiers, chariots and horses more than Him.

Nobody
says it’s going to be easy to stay faithful. It’s difficult—especially for those who seemingly have everything in life:

“Let not
the wisemanglory in his wisdom,Let
not the mightymanglory in his might,Nor
let the richmanglory in his riches;But let him who glories glory in this,That
he understands and knows Me,That
IamtheLord, exercising loving kindness,
judgment, and righteousness in the earth.For
in these I delight,” says theLord.

(Jeremiah 9:23-24)

FINISHING WELL

The Parable
of the Sower warns us of the seeds which initially grow well but later get
choked by thorns so that they fail to bear fruit. These thorns include the
riches and pleasures of life (Luke 8: 14). It is so easy to start off well. But
finishing well is another matter. http://limpohann.blogspot.com/2012/09/finishing-well.html

Let’s take
heed in these three areas where even the strong can fall. “Therefore
let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12).

Does personal
glory (fame and power) captivate us?

Are we
enamoured with gold (wealth and possessions such as property and cars)?

Do we get charmed
easily by girls(or let’s say the ‘opposite sex’ as it works both ways)?

For the
Word makes it plain:

“The
human heart is the most deceitful of all things,and desperately wicked.Who really knows how bad it is?”

Sin is like a beast crouching at the door, waiting to pounce upon us. We
need to learn how to control our impulses—such as unbridled sexual
desire. By doing so, we do not give satan any opportunity to destroy us.